David Cameron was asked whether the "people of Wales" had voted for him when he was subjected to a tongue-in-cheek grilling on one of the US's most influential chat shows.

David Cameron was asked whether the "people of Wales" had voted for him when he was subjected to a tongue-in-cheek grilling on one of the US's most influential chat shows.

In a wacky quiz on British culture and history during an appearance on the Late Show, host David Letterman asked the Prime Minister to name the four nations of the UK.

And in an apparent dig at the fact that the Conservatives won just eight out of Wales' 40 parliamentary seats at the last general election, he was then asked: "What is the deal on Wales? Did they vote for you, the people of Wales?"

Mr Cameron diplomatically replied: "Some of them did."

The Prime Minister had earlier been welcomed on to the Late Show to the tune of the house band playing Rule Britannia and dry ice pumping into the studio to replicate a London fog.

And after a brief foray into the issues surrounding Syria and the Arab Spring - the subject of his speech to the United Nations earlier in the day – Letterman confronted him with a truly tough question – who composed Rule Britannia?

A floundering Mr Cameron made a guess at Edward Elgar, only to learn from Letterman’s researchers that it was in fact Thomas Arne, setting words by James Thomson to music.

And despite his famous Eton education, he also admitted to being stumped when asked for the English translation of Magna Carta – Great Charter – and hesitated a while before naming Runnymede as the location of its signing.

But he immediately named 1215 as the date it was drawn up and was able to give an account of its importance in the birth of democracy.

Mr Cameron had said he would use the show to “bang the drum” for Britain, and raised applause from the audience when he hailed the successful hosting of the Olympics and Paralympics this summer.

But he, perhaps diplomatically, ignored an apparent dig by Letterman at Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who famously questioned if London was ready for the Olympics.

“The idea that two major world class athletics events took place in London... who would have bet against that going off flawlessly, as it seems to have done?” joked Letterman.

Mr Cameron also boasted of his government’s efforts to create a good environment for investment in the UK and about the creation of one million private sector jobs over the past two years.

But he admitted that he was “not very popular at the moment” – blaming his low ratings on the austerity policies needed to cut the deficit.

Mr Cameron had to correct Letterman when he talked about “the British empire” - “it’s not an empire, it’s the United Kingdom”, interrupted the PM during Wednesday night's show – and when the host suggested Northern Ireland was “part of England.

The PM raised a laugh from the studio audience for the CBS show as he joked about Britain’s historic relations with the US.

“There were some good bits and some less than good bits, and obviously we had a bit of a falling out,” he said.

“I like to think we’ve got over that now.”

In an indication of his determination to forge good relations with the victor of the upcoming presidential elections, he said: “I have got on well with Republicans, I can get on well with Democrats.”

The loudest applause of the evening came when he revealed that Britain does not allow political advertising on TV – a major issue in the US as both Mr Romney and Barack Obama have spent lavishly on attack ads in a multi-billion dollar presidential campaign.

But he revealed that it was thanks to TV that he was first recognised in the US, when he was walking in the streets of New York and spotted by a passer-by who shouted: “Hey! Prime Minister’s Questions! We love your show!”

Next: "I’ve ended my career on your show tonight!"

Mr Cameron is the first sitting British prime minister to join Letterman in the Ed Sullivan Theatre on Broadway – venue for the Beatles’ first US TV performance in 1964 – though Tony Blair has appeared twice on the show since leaving office.

It is understood that the PM’s team approached the Late Show to let them know Mr Cameron would be available during his visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

They were aware that they could be taking a risk in putting the Prime Minister up against the irreverent Letterman, who is known for off-the-wall questions - asking recent guest Boris Johnson if he cut his own hair.

The long-running Late Show has a daily audience of around three million with a mix of showbiz stars, humour and hard-hitting political interviews which regularly set the news agenda. Last week President Barack Obama used the show to issue his response to election rival Mitt Romney’s claim that 47% of US voters saw themselves as victims.

Also on last night’s British-themed edition were Trainspotting actor Jonny Lee Miller – now starring in CBS series Elementary, a US version of Sherlock Holmes - and folk-rock band Mumford & Sons.

Explaining the decision for the PM to appear with Letterman, one British government source said: “It is just a good opportunity. Britain has had an extraordinary year with the Jubilee, with the Olympics and with the Paralympics. We have got something good to shout about.

“So getting out there talking up Britain is important. We should never forget that we are the biggest investor in America, America is the biggest investor in us.

“There is a saying in business that when you want to do better you go back to your biggest customers and try and squeeze out a bit more.”

Mr Cameron defended the UK’s decision not to join the euro, telling Letterman: “I think it’s very important we keep our own currency... I think in Europe, if you’ve got a single currency, you are going to end up effectively with some form of single government. I don’t want that for Britain.

“We are part of Europe, we trade, we co-operate, we work together. But I don’t want to be part of a country called Europe. I want to be part of a country called Great Britain.”

He compared the fiscal union proposed to make the euro work more effectively with the position of states like Texas and Nebraska which operate within the fiscal arrangements of a single country, the US.

At times in the 15-minute interview, Mr Cameron appeared baffled by Letterman’s line of questioning.

When he was told the identity of the composer of Rule Britannia, he joked: “That’s bad, I’ve ended my career on your show tonight.”

But he got a very warm reception when he mentioned the London Olympics, which had clearly gone down well with the studio audience.

“We think we put on a good show,” said the Prime Minister. “We are incredibly proud of what happened.”

He sidestepped a question about the ever-divisive US issue of gun control, saying that while Britain had tough laws on firearm ownership, “we have to respect each other’s political traditions”.

Letterman asked him: “I’m told you have three viable political parties... but all of them tend to be to the left of everything that might line up here in the US.”

Mr Cameron replied: “In a way, but it’s pretty different traditions and cultures.”

Next page: David Cameron and David Letterman: Full interview transcript

DL: “You are in town for the festivities at the UN and you spoke over there .What did you speak about?

DC: “I was talking a lot about the Arab Spring and Syria and it is still something I believe in and, despite all the difficulties there, we should stick with the Arab Spring. The idea of growth in democracies in these countries is a positive thing.

DL: “Things seem to be a little bit more optimistic, is that safe to say?”

DC: “Obviously, we’ve the terrible event of the murder of your ambassador in Libya which is truly shocking and awful.”

DL: “Do you mind if I ask you a lot of dumb American questions?”

DC: “Fire away.”

DL: “First of all, the Rule Britannia, it has the iconic association with the British Empire, Britain rules the world. Who wrote that?”

DC: “You are testing me there. Elgar? I will go for that.”

DL: “Edward Elgar? We can check it.... and the British Empire at the time of colonisation, Britain did really rule the world. The sun never set.

Historically, we look back on that period as just awful don’t we?”

Laughs

DC: “There were some good bits and there were some less than good bits. Obviously we had a bit of a falling out at that time but I like to think that we’re getting over that now.”

DL; “And we couldn’t be more proud. Now, let’s look at the British Empire. We’ve got England, Scotland....”

DC: “....It’s not an empire, it’s the United Kingdom. Think of it like the United States.”

DC: “Well, there are people in Wales who speak a different language, people who have Welsh as their first language but they are very much part of the United Kingdom.”

DL: “Now, did they vote for you, the Welsh people?”

Laughs

DC: “Some of them did. My party tends to do a little bit better in England than it does in Wales... but don’t forget Northern Ireland.”

DL: “Now, explain for me - I have never been able to hold this in my head - the difference between Northern Ireland and Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of England?”

DC: “No no, part of the United Kingdom.”

DL: “I am sorry.”

DC: “There was a time when all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom and then was a movement for Irish independence and when that happened, the north of Ireland decided it wanted to stay with the United Kingdom.”

DL: “The division between Ireland and Northern Ireland is religious?”

DC: “It’s very complicated. There’s a huge amount of history involved, partly based on some religious differences. But the majority of people living in Northern Ireland, both Catholics and Protestants, want to be part of the United Kingdom....”

DL: “....Right, so how many people do you represent?”

DC: “The United Kingdom as a whole is about 60m people.”

DL: “That’s the equivalent of say Italy which has 40m to 50m people.”

DC: “We’re the 22nd most populous country in the world.”

DL: “22nd?”

DC: “22nd, so we are very proud of the Olympics where we came third in the medals table. I just wanted to get that in.”

Applause

DL: “The Olympics were a wonderful thing weren’t they?”

DC: “Yeah, it was a big moment. I mean, it’s a big test for a country because you have got the whole world looking at you and we put on a extraordinary show. It’s very difficult to do it as we did right in the middle of our capital city , a big bustling city London, and we think we put on a great show. I was very proud of what happened.”

DL: “And then, I think, a week later you hosted the paralympics in the same venues, so you really have had two world events back to back in your own town.”

DC: “And the paralympics was really kind of more incredible because this event I think for the first time had this real parity with the Olympics. It was extraordinary because there was almost no empty seats in the stadia, the country was as excited as it was about the paralympics as it was about the Olympic Games and I think the message about disability - the world over people are looking at people with disabilities in a different way, about all the amazing things they can do rather than the things that people can’t do. It was very powerful.”

DL: “It was very very powerful and you and everybody in the city of London did it. Congratulations.

“Now, when was the magna carter signed?”

Laughs

DC: “The Magna Carter was signed in 1215 on an island in the Thames.”

DL: “Now, wasn’t there a place that it was signed... where am I thinking of?”

DC: “I don’t know, I’m not a mind reader so....”

DL: “It’s a place I didn’t get to when I was in London. It’s outside of London and I thought it was where the Magna Carter was signed, but you are saying....”

DC: “Well, it was signed in a place called Runnymede.”

DL: “Runnymede, yes!”

DC: “I got it, so next time....”

DL: “I would love to go there next time. So is that where the Magna Carter is now?”

DC: “The Magna Carta is. I believe there’s a copy of it which I have seen in the Houses of Parliament, so it does exist.”

DL: “It’s Latin for what?”

DC: “Right, the big moment of the Magna Carter was people saying to the king that other people have to have rights and respect.... because then it was about the rights of nobles and not just the rights of people.”

DL: “The seeds of democracy.... and the Latin translation is magna....?”

DC: “Again, you are testing me.”

DL: “Boy, wouldn’t it be good if you knew this?”

Laughs

DC: “Well it would be.”

Adverts

DL: “Magna Carta in Latin mean great charter. Rule Britannia, which is a beautiful refrain was based on a poem by James Thomson. Are you familiar with James Thomson?”

DC: “Well, I am now.”

Laughs

DL: “Set to music in 1740. I wouldn’t have known either of these.... so that was great, that was very nice.”

“We hear so much of Ireland. We know that they had some sort of housing boom collapse, economic collapse. We hear about Greece going out of business altogether. And England, the economy.... or Great Britain.... is doing alright?”

DC: “We’re having a tough time with the boom that took place, we had one of the biggest banking collapses anywhere in the world. We had one of the biggest budget deficits anywhere in the world. It got out of control so we’re recovering from that a really difficult time that’s taking time.

“There’s a bright spot that we’ve actually seen in the last two years a millions new jobs which, in a country of 60 millions, is good.

DL: “How do you get a million jobs?”

DC: “Well you need to make it a very business-friendly government, make it easier to start a business easier, to employ people and attract businesses into the United Kingdom. We’re using the Olympics shamelessly to say this is a great nation, come and work, come and live, come and invest.”

“DL: “I just want to say one thing and I don’t mean to be hitting this too hard but the idea that two major world class athletic events took place within a nation in the city of London, in this day and age, who would have bet against that going off flawlessly as it seems to have done?”

DC: “I don’t think any of us thought it would be flawless because when you are sitting there, planning it and thinking through all of the difficulties - Are the airports going to cope? Are the transport systems going to cope? Thinking about security, terrorism, demonstrations - so any number of things, but what was great was that the team running it did a really great job.”

DL: “How do you get to keep the pound sterling when everyone else is in the Euro?”

DC: “Well, we made the decision as a country - and I think rightly - not to join the Euro. Britain is still one of the biggest economies in the world, we’re capable of having our own currency, our own monetary policies and try and have that so it suits our own economy. I have always felt it would be a bad decision to join the Euro because you have 17 different countries, 17 different governments, 17 different economic policies, who are not always going in the same direction, and having your own currency gives you greater flexibility. It means you can have interest rates and a policy that suits your won needs rather than somebody else’s.”

DL: “I understand that you have three political parties, Labour, The Liberal Democrats, and Conservatives. But every one of them seems to line up to the left of what you see in the United States. Am I right about that?”

DC: “In a way but it’s partly just about different traditions like the US you have issues of gun control where as in Britain we all agree in having gun control, but it’s a lot about different histories.”

DL: “Do you understand the issues of gun control in America and the second amendment?”

DC: “I understand why it’s a big issue in America, the constitution, the right to bare arms, the history. I kind of understand about that but my country is very different and the idea of not having gun control I find difficult but that’s why you have to respect each other’s political traditions. As a Conservative leader in the UK, I can get on with Republicans, I can get on with Democrats.

“We interfered a little bit with your politics about 200 years ago when we floated down the river and burnt down the White House.”

Laughs

DL: “When you ran for office, how long did it take you?”

DC: “We have this strange thing in Britain called leader of the opposition so I have spent five years between 2005 and 2010 as the leader of the opposition which gives you a place in Parliament. I know some people in the US watch Prime Ministers questions where we beat the bells out of each other. One day somebody came up to me in America and said ‘Hey, Prime Minister’s Questions! We love your show!”

“There’s a really big difference between us. We don’t allow a political party to advertise on television so that massively cuts the cost. I have never uttered the words ‘I am David Cameron and I approve this message’. This figure will amaze you. In order to become Prime Minister for the Conservative Party, I was allowed to spend, for four or fives months, $155,000. That’s the limit of the campaign finance. We still have to raise money so it’s still a controversial issue.”

DL: “Did you see The King’s Speech?”

DC: “The film?”

DL: “You sound like the guy in that. How are you getting on. Are you popular?”

DC: “I am not very popular at the moment.”

Laughs

DL: “Well, this is where you want to be!”

DC: “We have got big budget deficits, we have had to make a lot of cuts and make a lot fo difficult decisions, so we’re not very popular.”

DL: “And I understand you’ve got a cat. What’s the deal with the cat?”

DC: “The cat is from a rescue home. The cat’s called Larry and he is charming. I hope he is watching the show.”

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